Setting default-features with false does not work in a port's vcpkg.json

[BewareMyPower]

Describe the bug
I tried to contribute a new port and I'm testing it locally. In my project, the curl depends on openssl but in Vcpkg curl depends on sectransp by default on OSX. I tried setting "default-features": "false" but it does not work.

Environment

• OS: macOS m1 Ventura 13.4.1
• Compiler: revision

To Reproduce

Create port/xyz/vcpkg.json:

{
  "name": "xyz",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "...",
  "homepage": "https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg-docs",
  "license": "Apache-2.0",
  "dependencies": [
    {
      "name": "vcpkg-cmake",
      "host": true
    },
    {
      "name": "vcpkg-cmake-config",
      "host": true
    },
    {
      "name": "curl",
      "default-features": false
    }
  ]
}

Then I ran vcpkg install xyz:

The following packages will be built and installed:
  * curl[core,non-http,sectransp,ssl]:arm64-osx -> 8.4.0
  * vcpkg-cmake:arm64-osx -> 2023-05-04
  * vcpkg-cmake-config:arm64-osx -> 2022-02-06#1
    xyz:arm64-osx -> 1.0.0
  * zlib:arm64-osx -> 1.3

As you can see, all the default features (core,non-http,sectransp,ssl) of curl were still installed.

Expected behavior
The default features should not be installed.

Failure logs
-(please attached failure logs)

Additional context

I tried a simple project with the similar vcpkg.json in manifest mode and it does not install the default features

[dg0yt]

Works as designed by the project owners.

The expected behaviour is supported for manifests in user projects.
But in a port, "default-features": false has a different meaning: It just enables control by the user, i.e.

• If the user doesn't specify anything (in command line or user project manifest), vcpkg installs default features.
• If the user specifies "default-features": false (in manifests) or [core] (in command line) for the respective port, the default features are no longer installed (unless required by another port).

[BewareMyPower]

I tried ./vcpkg install xyz[core] but still saw default features were installed.

% ./vcpkg install 'xyz[core]'                                                                                
Computing installation plan...
The following packages will be built and installed:
  * curl[core,non-http,sectransp,ssl]:arm64-osx -> 8.4.0
  * vcpkg-cmake:arm64-osx -> 2023-05-04
  * vcpkg-cmake-config:arm64-osx -> 2022-02-06#1
    xyz:arm64-osx -> 1.0.0
  * zlib:arm64-osx -> 1.3

Is there any way to avoid installing default features of curl?

[dg0yt]

I tried ./vcpkg install xyz[core] but still saw default features were installed.

Your command line ("user") didn't specify anything about curl. What you need is:

./vcpkg install xyz curl[core]

The effect of curl[core] is what is enabled by xyz's vcpkg.json. If it hadn't "default-features": false for curl, it would depend on the default features.

[BewareMyPower]

Thanks for your explanation. It now works:

% ./vcpkg install xyz 'curl[core]'                                                                           
Computing installation plan...
The following packages will be built and installed:
    curl:arm64-osx -> 8.4.0
  * vcpkg-cmake:arm64-osx -> 2023-05-04
  * vcpkg-cmake-config:arm64-osx -> 2022-02-06#1
    xyz:arm64-osx -> 1.0.0
  * zlib:arm64-osx -> 1.3